The invention relates in general to transport containers and in particular to a new and useful transport incubator whose interior can be heated selectively by different heating elements, including heating elements which are independent of the current supply.
In the transportation of newborns under extreme environmental conditions, an incubator is required which can be used both in transportation and in stationary operation and which can be operated selectively with different heating energies depending on the given conditions.
From German utility model No. 1,704,128 is already known, a transport incubator where heating elements can be fed from a power supply or from the battery of a motor vehicle, as well as hot water bottles under a support of the incubator can also be used as heating elements which are independent of the current supply.
German Pat. Nos. 2,241,937 and 2,300,573 describe transport incubators which contain, in addition to the electrical heating system, heating elements with preheatable heat storage which give off heat when the electrical heating system is turned off, partly by varying the state of aggregation. In the standby position, the electrical heating system can be so regulated by a thermostat that the temperature of the heat storage is above the melting temperature of its filling. When the current supply is cut off, the temperature of the liquid heat storage drops at first until the solidification point is reached, and when passing over into the solid state of aggregation, the heat of solidification is released for heating.
The known embodiments of the transport incubators are not sufficiently adaptable regarding the usability of the various type of heating, which are determined by the environmental conditions and the condition of the newborn. In particular there are difficulties when the transport incubator must be used without current supply connections.